The painter Enwonwu, who died in 1994, is considered the father of Nigerian modernism. He made three paintings of “Tutu”, the locations of all of which had been a mystery until the recent discovery.

The works became symbols of peace following the clash of ethnic groups in the Nigerian-Biafran conflict of the late 1960s. Enwonwu’s work “Negritude”, also painted in the 1970s, sold for £100,000 in the same sale.

The auction was broadcast live to a Bonhams site in Lagos, where bidders were able to participate in real time.